Tempering Fire and Ice
by TwiSlash Unveiled
Summary: An Entry for TwiSlash Unveiled's PolySlash Contest Where three, four or more is never a crowd. Pairing: Jake/Bella/Edward


**TwiSlash Unveiled PolySlash Contest**

**Where three, four or more is never a crowd.**

**Pairing: Jake/Bella/Edward**

**POV: B, J, and then E**

**Rating: ALL stories submitted for this contest are rated M.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. **

**TwiSlash Unveiled, this contest, and the authors of the stories submitted do not intend any copyright infringement.**

**Anonymity Disclaimer:**

**This story is the work of its author and not TwiSlash Unveiled.  
It has been submitted under the TU pen name for the TwiSlash Unveiled PolySlash contest only.  
It remains the work of the author. **

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**Tempering Fire and Ice**

**Bella POV**

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"Bella, Dad invited us out to his place for pizza? Wanna go?" Jake was uncharacteristically quiet as he asked, his hands in his pockets while he leaned against the door.

I looked down at the stack of text books and homework in front of me. "When?" Jake replied with the notice that we were expected as soon as we could get there. A glance at the clock showed me it was after six PM. "Where did the day go, Jake?"

His laugh was forced. "You've been in here since nine AM, babe. Do you even remember me bringing you lunch?"

I smiled sheepishly. "So that's what that empty plate was from. Sorry, hon, I've just got a ton of homework and I don't get it, at all."

"Which subject?"

"Philosophy."

I watched, somewhat in shock, as Jake turned out the light so that only the dim glow of the setting sun coming through the window illuminated his outline. "Well, you're not gonna understand it any better in the next two or three hours. Therefore, you're coming with me, Bells. It's the end of May and time for food, fun, and maybe some fucking before I let you back in here."

I slapped at my husband's back as he lifted me out of my chair like a sack of potatoes and tossed me over his shoulder, one hand rubbing my ass as the other held my legs immobile. "Jacob Ephraim Black, put me down this minute!" My squeal echoed off the bare walls in my office as he spanked me, bending down to grab my shoes from their spot by the door.

"Hold on tight so I don't drop you," Jake teased. In all of our years together, two of them married, he had yet to drop me despite all of his horsing around. As my husband stood, I was careful to tuck my head into the small of his back so that I didn't hit the doorway when he turned. It had taken only two or three times for me to learn that trick since we'd moved out of the efficiency apartment and into a real house.

Our drive to Billy's was loud; it always was in our car. Jake cranked up the radio, or in the case of the Rabbit's radio- he turned it on as it was stuck on high, and we began singing along with the "trucker rock" as Jake had long since dubbed the one decent station we could pick up. I painted my toenails, a base coat of black, with a top of sparkles, to annoy Jake as he drove. He'd yelled at me for putting on makeup in the car, but he couldn't complain about painting my toenails. I chanced a glance over at him every few blocks as we drove through the Res, and smiled as I saw him bite the inside of his cheek.

"Yes, my love?" I asked with a falsely sickening sweet voice.

"You're doing that just to test my patience, aren't you, Bells?"

I hummed my response and then put my feet up on the dash. "I don't want to be forced to the spa if Rose sees my unpainted toes. Oh, I forgot to tell you...Rosalie and I have a lunch date tomorrow before we head to the library. She had Edward's class last term and thinks she can help."

I jerked as the car pulled off the road sharply. "So it's 'Edward' now? What happened to just blushing each time you said 'Professor Cullen?"

I laughed. "Please don't tell me you're jealous over my teacher. I thought we were past the jealous outbursts after the stuff with Jasper and Alice."

Jake sighed and rested his head on the steering wheel. "I feel like I never get to see you anymore. You're always at school, sticking around after to talk to your teacher, hanging out with Rose or other women you met at the polyamory meet-up, or if you are home, you're studying. I just... I feel like... I don't know. It is like you're pulling away from me now that you're in your sophomore year of your Master's degree. I feel like I'm tagging along with my job at the shop and I'm not good enough for you. You're my whole world, Bella. I miss when I was yours too."

Rivulets of tears formed from love, anger, frustration, and sadness ran down my cheeks, obscuring my vision. "Oh, God, Jakey. You are everything to me. I'm sorry I haven't made more time for you." I launched myself across the seat into my husband's arms, knocking him sideways into the door. "I love you, Jacob. You are the sun that makes my world a brighter place, a place worth living in."

Warm lips pressed against my cheeks, kissing my tears away. His tenderness made me feel even worse for how neglectful I've been while finishing my Masters degree in American Literature. I lifted my tear-streaked face and kissed my husband, willing him to feel how much love I've always had for him. One kiss turned into two and then Jake shifted me so that I was straddling his legs, one of mine wedged between the door and a muscular thigh, the other on top of the center console.

As his tongue swept across my lips, I gave in to the building lust and let it wash over me. Large hands slid up and down my sides, slowly inching my shirt and hoodie up my back so that he could slip gently stroking fingertips beneath. I let out his name on a whimper as Jake's fingers brushed against my breasts lighter than the touch of a fluttering butterfly wing.

"Do you still want me, Bella? Then show me."

I kissed Jake harder, my tongue entering his mouth with a desperation that matched my need. He let out a growl as my hands worked down his chest scratching at the skin his button up didn't cover before gently pinching the flat nipples that responded to my slightest touch. My hands skimmed over the six pack, not quite the eight pack it had been in high school but still beyond sexy, until the rough denim of his jeans met my touch.

His brown eyes opened and gazed at me with an unrivaled passion as he pushed me back against the steering wheel, his hands moving my shirt up under my chin. My no-fuss white cotton bra was easily shoved out of his way, left to support my breasts as the nipples hardened under his lustful watch. He leaned forward and caught one pouting tip between his lips, his tongue laving it with attention before drawing back to admire. Jake moved to the other side, his tongue making a lazy circle before he began to suck, his fingers teasing the nipple he'd abandoned.

One hand pulled at my jeans until the snap front popped open, and then splayed out over my underwear. "I can still make you wet, that's good to know. Now, tell me, Bells, do you want me?" He maneuvered my jeans down awkwardly in the cramped space and then situated me over him once again. Jake slid one finger across my slit, the cotton fabric separating us before he pushed slightly, teasing me. Moving the fabric out of the way, Jake pressed two fingers up into me while his thumb applied gentle pressure moving back and forth across my clit.

"Scream for me, babe. I want you to remember me, remember this, every time you're overwhelmed with school work." His fingers pumped in and out while his mouth alternated between my breasts and neck, no doubt leaving marks behind that would be noticeable for days.

My hands pulled at his hair, finally having grown out after all the guys on the Res shaved their heads in a mark of solidarity when Embry lost all his raven-hued locks from cancer treatments. Jake's eyes met mine and the lust, the love, the passion behind them alone would have made me orgasm if his hands hadn't been pushing me higher and higher. Using his hair, I tugged his face up to mine as the first knot let loose, overwhelming me with sensation.

It was too much and not enough; I wanted him inside me. As I came down from the climax, his fingers still gently strumming my inner walls like the guitar he liked to play with; I let my hands fall to his zipper. He helped me when I fumbled, popping the button free as I reached inside. Jake's hand covered mine as I shoved aside his underwear and released his hardening cock. His groan made me smile as I stroked up and down his shaft, as did the growl he made when I sank down onto him.

His body was always warmer than mine and the heat he filled me with was a delicious ache. Each thrust he made fanned the flames even higher until we were both grunting, swearing, pleading for more even as our bodies slammed together on each stroke. As Jake watched, I reached between us and rubbed across my clit, bringing me right to the edge. His thrusts became harder, faster, and deeper as he was brought close; his eyes closed and his head fell forward and then slammed back onto the seat as his hands pulled my hips down to practically seal against his as he came. I watched his face tense and then slacken as I pushed myself up and over with my fingers slipping frantically until I finally let go.

We both let out a string of giggles as I lifted off Jake's lap and tried to reach for the box of tissues behind his seat. By the time I'd gotten myself cleaned up as best I could and wriggled back into my jeans, Jake had his jeans zipped and looked thoroughly too pleased with himself. Jake arched one eyebrow at me and gave that shit-eating grin while shrugging his shoulders.

"What? I was just thinking that I'm glad I never fixed the horn or we would have gathered a lot of attention."

I smacked him in the chest and tried to fasten my sandals before Jake started the car again. Leaning to the side, I kissed his shoulder and then hooked my seat belt. The rabbit resisted starting at first and then finally turned over and Jake drove us to Billy's. I made a quick dash for the bathroom and the cleansing wipes that were still stashed at the back of the top shelf out of Billy's reach from Jake's and my early days of dating when he was still at home.

"Um, hi, Billy," I muttered as I came back out to his knowing smile. Jake and Billy were sitting on the couch, laps laden with paper plates piled high with pizza. Beer was on the battered coffee table, a can awaiting Charlie who was running a few minutes late but was on his way. Dinner passed with only a few comments as to when Jake and I were going to make any announcements. After Sam and Emily had announced they were expecting a baby, it seemed that everyone looked to us for the next set of little feet.

After whatever game they were watching finished, Jake and I made our goodbyes, heading back home where we made love again before calling it a night. Come morning, I awoke to an empty bed, a small note and a wild rose on the pillow beside me.

_Quil had an emergency so I'm working the shop by myself. _

_I know you have plans with Rosalie, but thought we could meet up at the club at 8 after my meeting_

_to dance and blow off some steam. Text me by 630 to let me know. _

_Love ya! J_

~*~

"So, where's Jakey-poo at today, Bella?"

Rose was skimming her old textbook with its highlighted passages and note-filled margins while flipping through three triple subject notebooks. Finally, she found what she was looking for and lifted her head. Her violet eyes practically stared through me.

"He's working until six, and then has the polyamorous men munch from six-thirty until seven-thirty. Jake really enjoys having other men to talk to, and he likes the food. I wish you could get Emmett and Felix to go. They might learn something or make other friends; at the least they might learn how to get along. If nothing else, it would be a night you aren't cooking for one of them."

Rosalie's snort earned us some glares from people sitting at the table outside our study group. I climbed from my perch, kneeling on the backwards chair, to close the door and saw my most recent crush looking at the new fiction shelves across from me. My heart rate increased; I felt light headed and dizzy, and suddenly felt like I had to throw up. My study buddy joined me at the door to see what was keeping me and then gave a devilish smile before calling out and gaining my professor's attention.

"Oh, Mister Cullen! There you are! I was just helping Bella with your class materials. I have to go soon, so maybe you could help her. Bella's been having such a _hard_ time."

My whispered threat of, "Rosalie Lillian Hale, I swear to fucking God I'm going to shove your stiletto heel up your ass," went unheard. "What about going out for dinner, Rose?" I asked as she came back in.

Rose turned to me as Edward grabbed one last book and then began heading our way. "Wouldn't you much rather have dinner with _him_ than me," she hissed. Rose picked up her text book and closed it, shoving it into her messenger bag smoothly before our professor showed up at the doorway, ankles crossed. He really was way too hot to be a college professor.

My voice was the softest squeak as I forced out, "Hello, Professor Cullen."

One of his dark eyebrows arched and his hunter green eyes soon had crinkles at the sides from his smile. "Hello, and I thought I told you to call me 'Edward,' Bella. Hello, Rosalie. I'm glad to see that you're looking well. I appreciate you tutoring Missus Black; I am sure that her grades will as well." His smile took in both of us before he smoothly sat down in Rosalie's now-unoccupied chair.

Edward started with political and social philosophy, weaving in modern life examples with Locke and Rousseau's more famous texts. "You are one of my most brilliant students, Bella. I wish you'd come to me when you first started struggling. I know that my office hours are terrible, but that's only because I have my own Ph. D. classes that I'm taking. I am always available by email." Edward paused and took out his phone. "Here, let me give you my number and I'll take yours. That way, you can text me if you have any questions and unless I'm in class or asleep, I can get back to you. By having yours, I can send you a few sample questions of what to expect in class to help keep you on your toes."

After digging out my phone from my patch-covered backpack, I exchanged numbers with Edward and then got back to work. We discussed everything from Dr. Castel to Monsieur Othon in Camus' The Plague. Edward was so animated as he spoke, it was easy to feel his love of the topic and I finally _got_ why he was a philosophy professor. He poked at the main text book with one of those long fingers and I shivered as I thought about where Jake's fingers had been just last night.

"Are you cold?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine, Edward; thanks." I took a moment to look at my watch. "Fuck...sorry," I apologized as an afterthought. "It's six. I have to be somewhere by eight and haven't eaten or gone home to change yet. I need to get moving. I'm sorry for keeping you so late. Can I buy you dinner as my thanks?"

I chanced a glance up at his stubble covered face as he shoved a pair of reading glasses up like a headband. "I would love to, sincerely." Edward reached out and then pulled back before trying again and resting his hand on top of mine. "I would love nothing more than to go have dinner with you, but I have plans already at six-thirty with my friends." Edward helped me organize all my papers, including the notes he'd made in his elegant script. "You said you have plans at eight," he asked shyly. "What are you doing?"

As Edward and I started walking down the steps out in the early summer air, I mentioned that my husband and I were heading to Neighbours, over on Broadway. "Oh, I know right where that is. I used to go dancing there with James." His voice trailed off almost into a whisper on the last word.

Oh. James must be his partner; Edward is gay. The realization oddly hurt as I reconciled the fact that even though Jake and I allowed one another to explore our crushes as long as we were honest before and after any trysts, that I could never have my professor. I had never planned on it becoming a reality, but to know it was never an option... I suddenly knew why a "crush" was called that; my heart felt as if it had been smashed flatter than the first Terminator in the hydraulic press.

"I should get going, Edward. I'll see you later."

His fingers, those sculpted from all things wonderful fingers, gently ran down my cheek before he gave a gentle smile. "I really do wish I had more time. Have a good evening, Isabella."

~*~

I indulged my heartache with a hot fudge brownie sundae and followed it up with a cheeseburger that I ate in the car. As soon as I reached home, I started the coffee pot before hopping in the shower. I put my hair up in Velcro rollers while I went to enjoy a cup of coffee. Brushing my teeth was done in a fog as the radio began playing "I wanna dance with somebody" and my hips moved to the beat. For our wedding, Jake had insisted we take dancing lessons. It took three months' worth of lessons before I could get through a song without falling over my own feet, but eventually I began to hold my own without Jake keeping me upright. After two years of Jake keeping me "in practice," I was able to truly enjoy losing myself to the beat and watch my husband move like he owned the floor.

I did my makeup carefully, looking at the notes still sticking to my side of the vanity mirror in Alice's careful handwriting along with her sketches of how exactly to apply shadows and blushes. I slid the silver and black dress on over the leggings and put on the flats I wore when Jake and I went out. With a quick brush of my hair once the curlers came out, I was ready to go.

Outside the club, Jake was standing next to his car, looking sinful in solid black except for the pewter wolf head buckle on his belt. He pushed off of it and stalked towards me, ignoring the eyes that fell on him as he came closer. This was our ritual and he knew how it got my body pulsing. Everyone outside watched as my husband stood, towering over me, and then tilted my chin up so that he could bend to kiss me. His kiss was soft and sweet, always, but his eyes held that fire that drew us together in the first place.

We walked with arms around each other into the club, glad that it was no longer "the" place to go and we could see our friends more easily. Alice and Jasper were knocking back shots of what looked like tequila at one of the tables out of the main area and waved us over. Jake kissed my temple and went to get us each a drink. I felt my pocket buzz and reached for my phone. _You aren't embarrassed to be seen with your teacher are you? EMC_

I turned around and there _he_ was. Tall, red brown hair sticking out just as wildly as it does for our eight am classes, his glasses abandoned. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a white dress shirt that made him look even paler than normal. Edward was strikingly beautiful. I heard Alice squeal as Edward came our way, and may have made a similar sound of my own as he lifted me up and swung me in a circle before kissing my forehead as he set me down onto my feet.

"I told you that I wanted more time with you, Bella. Care to dance?"

I looked back for Jake and seeing that he was still in line, I accepted Edward's outstretched hand and with a giggle and wave, bid farewell to Alice and Jasper who watched on in amusement. Edward led us to an open space closer to the speakers than I like, but I could feel the bass reverberating through my bones. His lithe body pressed against mine before shying away, slowly circling before ending up behind me as we danced to Lady Gaga. Edward's hands moved up and down my sides as our bodies shared everything but true intercourse under the guise of dancing.

Near the end of the song, I rotated and turned into Edward, my hands going up around his neck as his pelvis pressed into my stomach. I could feel him, hard, and the lust swirling around the dance floor knocked me for a loop. His hands moved to my waist as he pulled me into him and then gently ground against me; he kept things right on the line between acceptable dance moves and foreplay. When he leaned forward and his warm breath tickled my ear, I melted against his chest. "I can feel your blood rushing beneath my fingertips. Your dress doesn't hide your response to the music _or to me_." His last three words were almost a purr and I heard him take in a deep breath. As his lips moved against my ear, I felt Jake come up behind me.

He wore his confidence well; he was not aloof, but he knew how good he moved as well as looked. Jake was imposing yet warm and when his body moved up behind mine, I felt like I was the filling in the most delicious sandwich ever created. Edward matched his movements to Jake's and when I looked up at his face, was met by the most serene smile I'd ever seen on his face in the four months of weekly classes.

"Ed, so glad you could come," my husband half-yelled so that he could be heard over the music.

Edward turned us so that we were sideways to Jake and I watched dumbfounded as my husband kissed him. Alright, I must admit that second to my confusion was an almost overwhelming urge to find out how their kiss could would translate off the dance floor for my currently raging libido. Followed by both was an intense jealousy and sense of betrayal as I watched my Jake pull Edward up into another kiss.

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**Jake POV**

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I was shocked to see my wife's eyes fill with tears after I pulled back from kissing Edward. He seemed just as upset to see her tears and reached for her before she ran outside of the club, pushing past several writhing bodies on the floor. Edward slipped between them while it was as if the sea simply parted for me.

I watched as Bella gave a hurried look at the street before sprinting across it. Edward reached her first and had her scooped up into his arms as he leaned back against this lovely little Vanquish whose owner was going to royally kick Edward's ass if he so much as wiped off some of the polish.

It had already been a confusing night full of revelations about my own sexuality or barring that, simply my affections. This morning, just before I closed up shop to grab lunch and drop off a car at Sam's, I received a call from AAA asking if I could either go change a tire or tow the car in to fix it in my shop. I leapt at the chance to escape the garage and after making sure that what I needed was in Quil's "shop on the road" pickup, I broke the speeding limit in a few places as I rushed to the edge of the Res where a college frat boy Volvo was sitting on the side of the road.

I got out of the truck and quickly wiped my hands on my pants, making sure there were no grease smudges. The car looked as if it had just been detailed and I did not need some daddy's little CEO in training trying to pin a cleaning bill on Wolf Pack Auto Body.

When the door opened and revealed Ed Masen from my poly group, I had to stuff my hands in my pockets and hide my cock which was making its presence known with each step. After that last munch four weeks ago, I had been left so confused after reoccurring dreams of Ed filled my mind and his eyes were there to haunt me as much as Bella's when I'd sit down at the computer with my porn. My wife didn't care about the porn as long as it was on nights she was studying late or when she had to pull extra hours at her job on the campus bookstore. If she was home, I was hers; I wasn't going to complain until recently when our nights together had become far and few between.

I knew it was wrong to keep my budding feelings to myself, but they fucking confused me and I didn't need Bella trying to analyze everything. Sometimes, I just need to figure things out by myself, and telling my wife was not going to help. The last time I so much as purposely checked out a guy to try and gauge my interest, Bella had done a little jig of joy as she hopped around the living room that night while saying we could try things again with Alice and Jasper.

I'd told her, "Bells, I'm not interested in men. I've tried, for you and Alice, but Jasper just doesn't do anything for me. Yeah, I can admit he's a good looking man, but I don't see myself getting it up for any man. I'm sorry, but it is never going to happen." The closest Bella had gotten from me and Jasper was one event of double penetration where I'd had enough beer that I didn't care who was fucking her from behind as long as she was still on my cock.

Now, as I watched the guy I'd fallen for over the past two meet-ups hold my wife, I felt a surge of jealousy. I got that he knew her from school; Ed had practically wept with joy when I got the picture of Bella and me in Hawaii on our honeymoon out of my wallet. I just hadn't understood how well they knew one another if she was allowing him such liberties as to hold her, to comfort her. I felt like an outsider as my wife cried tears of frustration (I knew the difference after our years together) into his shoulder and he began to hum as he stroked back the long chestnut waves the same way I have done countless times.

When he tenderly kissed her forehead, and then her nose, both while smiling at her, my jealousy melted away into purely confusion. Bella let out little hiccups as she tried to control her emotions, and began whispering to Ed who nodded a few times. He looked over to where I was standing, some ten feet away, and gave a quick toss of his head in welcome, using body language to draw me closer.

"But, what about James?" I heard my wife ask as I approached their little bubble. It was as if Ed had truly drawn a line in the asphalt and concrete around them, creating a sacred space. No one else looked their way. It was just Ed and Bella, and then me on the outside. When the shadow passed before his eyes, I tried to block out the words he was about to speak. I had heard them earlier at our dinner meeting.

"My partner and I were together for ten years. We met in high school at a track meet. After college when he decided to join the Army, we explored polyamory as a means of holding on through the rough months. Gianna and Alec were good friends of ours and when Alec left with James for Afghanistan, Gianna and I were there for one another, much the same as Alec and James were. James died last July. His helicopter went down; all we know is that his death was quick." Ed had looked around the room and shrugged. "I guess that's all I can really ask for." His voice had become oddly clinical, detached, as he spoke, as if he was reciting something from memory, not actually talking to us.

Several of the men in the group had started to offer condolences but Ed waved them off with a smile. "It's okay, now. After ten months, while it isn't easier, the pain is less sharp. Gianna and Alec both offer a lot of support, although she has found that spending time with me increases her worries now that Alec is back. She always wonders if that next call or car is the one with the news we both dread."

Bella, however, did not give Ed a chance to hush her soft words and her tears became those of pain. She cried for him, his loss, and I watched in a state of awe as he carefully released her and then wiped away her tears with a small handkerchief.

"Don't cry, Bella. Tonight is not a night for tears. We should be in there dancing, having fun, reveling in the life that my James enjoyed so much. He would hate to see such a beautiful woman cry; I know I do. If nothing else, save your tears for the final exam."

The tenderness of Ed's actions with my wife made my heart expand and fill with a warm affection for the man I had developed a crush on, to use Bella and Alice's favorite word. I had been able to admit that Jasper was a good looking man, but I was simply not interested in him. His accent grated on me, and he just seemed way too 'go with the flow' or even perhaps was still too much of a hippy despite his southern gentleman manner. I had enjoyed watching him with Bella but when it came to Jasper wanting to try things with me, all my interest fled.

The first time I saw Ed, I felt like I was sixteen again and had to hide my tented jeans by scooting up close to the table at Buffalo Wild Wings. After several of the men had commented on Ed's singing at the karaoke get together, I had wanted to spend more time with him. When Ed started talking about giving guitar lessons on campus to make a little extra money to get him through the summer months, I jumped at the chance. At first, when we discussed what I could do before our first lesson, Ed had refused to take any money, and instead, we opted to meet on Wednesday nights, I would treat him to dinner and then we'd go back to his apartment to play our guitars.

It had been a month of such visits and random text messages. This evening when Ed arrived at the munch a little late and out of breath from running; I had felt jealous when I saw the sparkle in his eyes. He kept drifting off and smiling before picking up our conversation where it left off. Now, I could see that same glint and I had to wonder where this was leading. Ed and Bella had seemed oddly comfortable out on the dance floor. Watching their synchronized movements had filled me with want. I wanted to see them dancing for me while wearing a lot less clothing.

Bella turned to me and gave a smile, her eyes still red from drying tears. "Come here, Jake." I let my wife pull me forward and wrapped one arm around her waist. "I guess you know Edward already, but, Edward, this is my husband Jake Black. Jake, this is my philosophy professor, Edward Cullen."

"I..." I trailed off, having lost my train of thought.

"Bella, Jake knows me as Ed Masen. I go by mother's maiden name in the alternative lifestyle circles. It is much easier for my personal life to remain a non-issue. I've never had my public and private lives meet up like this." He leaned in and kissed her temple while his eyes were on me. "Jake, I must admit, after I had spent the afternoon with Bella in the library to then run to dinner with you and the rest of the poly guys, I never would have assumed... I could never in my best and wildest dream have imagined the two of you were together. It is certainly a relief to me."

"Why?" It was the only word I could get to come out. My brain seemed to be in some sort of fog. I had not exactly been in top notch mental form tonight after Ed- Edward had kissed me following dinner. After dinner, which was only a block from his apartment, I'd asked if I could change there instead of in the restaurant bathroom. When I came out of his guest room, Edward was sitting on the kitchen counter drinking a cold beer. He watched me, much the same way my Bella does, and then using one finger, motioned me to him.

I'd walked forward, slowly shifting my weight from foot to foot, advancing on him. Those green eyes watched me as he tipped back the amber glass bottle yet again. When I reached him, Edward's hands set aside the bottle and then used my collar to pull me closer. He straightened my collar and then his lips were on mine. It was hard, fast, and way too fucking short for my liking. He let go of my shirt and was clinging to the counter as I stepped the last few inches between his legs until our bodies pressed together from pelvis to collarbone. When his tongue touched mine, I couldn't help but reach around and pull Edward into me and then he stopped and softly pushed me back.

His words had made me fall for him even harder. "I can't, Jake. Not until you've properly introduced me to your wife. Besides, I know from our talks that you've never been with a guy. While I would be more than an honored to be your first, your wife and I have some talking to do first. I am not into cheap fucks. If I was, I could go to any club and find someone. I like relationships, and sex, of course; but if there aren't emotions, some connection, behind it, I'd rather just use my porn collection. If your wife and I aren't compatible, or she is disinclined to share you with me, then we must remain just friends; I'm sorry."

I knew, right then and there, that he and Bella were going to get along just fine. I'd purposely invited him to come meet her; I wanted to see if they could along. When I saw them dancing, it was as if everything had fallen into place perfectly. Alice couldn't have plotted it better. Then, when Bella saw Edward and I kiss, I expected happiness, or even for her to be perplexed; I had not foreseen the shock, pain, and even jealousy.

After finding out he's her professor, it all clicked into place, yet I could not decipher what everything meant for the three of us. Broken down the basics, our relationship had three main parts. I love Bella and she loves me. I really like Edward and he reciprocates. I know that she is at the minimum attracted to Edward, and she is not someone to like a man just based on his physical appearance. Based on his reactions to her, and little things I've heard from him over the weeks about one of the girls in his class, whom I'd assumed was his classmate, not his student, I knew that Edward was interested in my wife.

Rosalie's boyfriend, one of them at least, Emmett, would have stated "so, when do we all get down to the fucking?" I, however, while still aroused by Edward's kiss in the kitchen as well as watching his well sculpted body twist around my wife's, knew that we had the capability of being much more than a short term fuck and half-assed relationship if we did this right.

"I think the three of us should go get some coffee and have a talk about things."

~*~

At the end of the night, we were all sitting on Edward's couch, eating take-out cheesecake he had run out for, leaving Bella and I to peruse his movie collection. We settled on watching one of our favorites, The Great Outdoors. The three of us laughed as we quoted lines at random. Cheesecake eaten, the three of us kicked back to watch the end of the movie, our feet up on the coffee table. I had an arm around each of them and while so many things had not be figured out, we had realized that this- a relationship- was something tangible; it was something we could work toward, but not until the end of the semester.

"This movie is the reason I've never gone camping."

Bella and I looked at Edward in shock. "Fuck that, Ed. We're taking your skinny ass camping as soon as school is out for the summer to celebrate. Bella and I go camping as much as possible in the decent weather, and more than she'd like in the not-so-pleasant. We've got plenty of gear; you've gotta come."

* * *

**EPOV**

* * *

I fucking hate camping. No, strike that. I really fucking hate camping when it decides to rain and Jake just smiles and tells me "buck up and enjoy thoughts of Bella in wet clothes, stripping down in front of the fire to warm up."

Bella, after smacking Jake in the back of the head, had told me there were plenty of dry clothes in the backpacks; she'd packed extra sweatpants and sweatshirts in my size knowing that "the city boy" wouldn't bring enough. In the month since the three of us had started _dating_, in secret for my and Bella's side of things, it was rocky at first. Whenever I spotted Bella on campus, I had to fight my instinct to run up and kiss her, or more. We hadn't so much as rounded second base but she set my impulses on high and I wanted nothing more than to mount her. I had never been like this before; I think it may be Jake's influence on me.

Jake is at times two people in one body. Half the time he is primal; the dark hunter. At other moments, he is a constant ray of sunshine. Nothing, and I mean _nothing _gets him down. It can be annoying, but is mostly infectious. He smiles easily, and loves to pick on Bella; okay, we both do. Her blush is enchanting, her wit- divine. Over the semester, I had developed feelings for her; feelings I should never have had for a student. When I met Jake, I had hoped I could forget Bella and those dark eyes that were always on me during lecture as she took notes. I fell in love with her for her mind even though it was her body that I dreamt of each night as I took my cock in hand.

When I'd told Gianna about the student I had feelings for, she told me to find a new distraction. Jake, who I was already attracted to for his body, became my obsession. I fought my need to run back to the school and sit in the lounge where I could see Bella across the hallway in the bookstore by immersing myself in conversations with the larger than life Quileute at the meetings and our guitar lessons. I soon found myself honestly interested in him, especially as I watched his fingers fumble over the strings while I tried to teach him how to play a song for his then nameless wife.

Telling myself that I had to stick to my rules regarding polyamorous relationships became harder as the desire to kiss Jake, or to coax him to kiss me as I wanted nothing more than to have him take a dominant role, took over my mind. Then that blessed day in the library came with Bella where we spent no less than four hours going over material that she knew inside and out but lacked the confidence to feel comfortable with... I think without those hours, I may have balked when I realized that Jake and Bella were together. Instead, I found the final two pieces of my puzzle falling into place.

The last weeks of school were an odd dance of soft smiles and study meetings in my office that sometimes turned into a heated make out session, one time with Bella and I actually breaking the back on my chair as we leaned too far. I used my camera phone and sent an image of us in a tangled heap on the floor to Jake whose responding call filled my office with his laughter. Jake and I continued our guitar lessons although we greeted and parted with a kiss. Before each of his visits, I locked my bedroom door and put the key up out of reach so that if our desire became uncontrollable we had a few moments to regain composure.

Now, the camping trip from hell. I will reiterate my sentiments; I fucking hate camping in Washington in June, when it rains and the temperature drops into the high thirties. The fire had burned out long ago, leaving me to sleep in my tent alone as the wind howled and the rain pelted the waterproof fabric. As the temperature became lower, I huddled into my mummy style sleeping bag, trying to generate enough body heat to not freeze. Soon, I drifted off as a few hushed moans met my ears, attempting to wake me from my dozing slumber.

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

I opened one eye and then the other. _Drip. _Another droplet of water landed on my forehead. "Fuck!" I rolled to the other edge of my air mattress to escape the dripping. I grabbed my cellphone from the pocket of my sweatpants and checked the time, two thirty-two. Starting my browser, I checked the local temperature and saw that it had dropped to thirty-three.

I heard a zipper and squelching footsteps as a pair of feet made their way to the outhouse fifty feet beyond our campsite. Moments later I heard a distinctly Bella swearing and a thud followed by a laugh. Chancing more rain, I unzipped my door an inch and looked out, seeing Bella rocking in a mud puddle as she laughed.

"Walk much?"

Bella turned to me and smiled as she crawled through the mud. "I had to pee. Apparently, the rain hadn't made me wet enough and I fell on my way back." I watched as she reached up to push mud and rain drenched hair out of her face as more muddy water ran down her face. "Not much fun for a first night of camping. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. A little wet and my tent is leaking." Well, I heard what I said. To Bella's ears, I think it came out as teeth chattering with some word-like sounds emitted now and then.

"Oh, shit, Edward. Umm... Get out of your sleeping bag and follow me. You're going to end up with hypothermia at this rate. Bring your pack too for morning."

I crawled out of my sleeping bag and then rolled it up tightly, tucking it beneath my arm as Bella and I made a mad dash for their tent. I was shocked as Bella stripped out of her clothing, down to nothing from what I could tell by the ambient light. She wiped down with a towel and I silently cursed all the ancient gods for not giving us a full moon or at least a star-filled sky so I could see her body beyond the hint of breasts, the dimly lit curve of her hips.

"Take off your socks, dry your feet, and put on a fresh pair. There is a small box beside the door with more in it. We came prepared." Bella spoke in a rough whisper as she pulled clothing out of a plastic storage bin and redressed.

"Can you two shut up and let a man sleep here? I can't be expected to be your personal bed warmer if you don't let me get my beauty rest," Jake grumbled.

Bella collapsed into my chest in a fit of giggles before sliding into bed. I started to open up my sleeping bag and bedroll on the space next to their bed when the blanket opened again. "Sweetie, we have a king sized air mattress. There is plenty of room for you. Come in and zip up before all the heat escapes." I did as asked, fidgeting with the zipper to get it all the way to the top.

"Edward, you're simply freezing. Come here. Jake's too hot and you're freezing. Maybe if you both cuddle into me, we'll all end up just right."

I fell asleep spooning Bella, her hips pushed back into mine as Jake's arm draped over both of us. The heat and comfort were second to the stirrings of love that seeped through my skin. Being there, with Bella and Jake, just felt right. She balanced out my obsessive nature and his dichotomy of dark and light with a loving ease that made the three of us better. It was much like now as she tempered his fire and my ice, leaving us to rest comfortably. I fell asleep with thoughts of how James would have liked them and a prayer that his spirit was happy, no matter where it was, even just asleep in the ground.

~*~

The sun was up, as was another part of my anatomy, when I awoke. I felt a wriggle, and then a second shifting as Bella's hips moved against my cock. Despite knowing I shouldn't, I pressed back into her, letting her know that I was awake. She rolled over to face me and those dark eyes opened lazily, a smile on her lips.

I mouthed "good morning," as did Bella, before we kissed softly. Her hair was a wild mess from sleep, and the look on her face made it look almost like a post-coital glow. Bella moved, sliding one leg over my hip and forcing me onto my back as she followed, resting her weight on my body. I chanced a glance at Jake who was still asleep. "Eyes on me, Edward," she whispered before doing a sinuous move that made my cock harden further.

Using my father's favorite curse, "bloody hell, woman," I thrust against her hips. She squealed and giggled as I tried to use my eyes to warn her about waking up Jake. "He can sleep through anything," was murmured against my lips. Bella sat up and rocked her pelvis on mine. "Aren't you glad your tent had a leak now?"

I nodded and used my arms to push myself up so that I could suck along her neck. She smelled like a mix of Jake, Bella, and me from when she'd make one of us lie down flat so she could commandeer a chest as a pillow. Her low moan enticed me to see how many more I could have her make and my mouthed worked lower, teasing the flesh I could reach above the neckline of her sweatshirt. I must have frustrated her as Bella pushed me backwards and then pulled her shirt up and tossed it to the side of the mattress, leaving her handful and then some sized breasts to my view.

Bella leaned over me, scooting forward so that her ass was pressed against the head of my cock and her breasts were hovering over my face. I admired them, my eyes taking in the slope and the soft curves, the hardening nipples, and then I looked up at her face. To have such a strong desire directed at me snapped the final thread holding me back. I lunged the few inches separating us and took one taut nipple between my lips and tugging before flicking it with my tongue.

She slowly sat up, bringing me with her, my hands supporting me on the mattress until I was fully seated upright. Bells slid back, giving some much hated space between our bodies until I felt the drawstring on my sweats slacken and a gentle hand slip inside. Her lips met mine in an open-mouthed kiss as she stroked my cock, her mouth muffling my groan.

We spent the better part of ten minutes sharing gentle touches as we explored one another. I shoved her sweat pants down and let my fingers wander down over her soft yet spare stomach and slid one finger experimentally over her lips, slowly learning which touches earned the strongest response. She whimpered, a sound that made me shiver, as I removed my hand and licked my fingers that were coated in her arousal. I knew the three of us were drug and disease free; the Monday following the meeting at the club we had all gone for blood work despite having had no other partners in over six months and prior tests with no findings.

When I returned my hand to her sex, Bella soon began panting as she pushed her hips down against me. I slid one finger into her, providing extra stimulation as I continued to tease her clit. She bit down on her lip, the skin turning almost white around her teeth from the pressure, to fight back her moan as she came minutes later, her body quivering erotically before collapsing against my chest.

"Getting started without me, I see."

In shock, I looked over at Jake who smiled and pushed the blanket down to his thighs, showing his hand wrapped around a lovely cock, slightly paler than the deep russet tone of his arms and legs, the head a deep ruddy color as he stroked. Jake switched hands and reached into the small organizer beside their bed and reached for a condom. "I think we're ready, Edward. Are you?"

I looked back to Bella who was smiling at me, one hand cupping her left breast. "Why do I think I've been set up?"

Both let out a small snort. "I don't think we have the ability to manipulate weather or cause your three hundred dollar 'weather king' tent to leak. But, we did talk about possibilities and decided that if the opportunity came up to move things to the next level, we were ready. We've already made the commitment to a relationship with you, Edward. You've talked with us about sex and said that you felt pretty confident in your decision to be with us, all the way. We can wait as long as you want, but I can't think of a better first time than while the three of us have no neighbors nearby to hear our moans."

Jake's words touched my heart. This wasn't just some lustful act, it was one they had discussed and wanted. They wanted _me._

"I want you both, in any way you'll have me."

We shifted side to side as we pulled our sweats down and tossed them aside, promptly forgotten as my eyes went onto the woman above me. Bella reached over for the condom and then opened it carefully. We both held our breath as she slowly unrolled it over my length and then moved back to straddling my hips as she pushed me down. I nearly screamed in impatience when Bella reached between us and slid my cock along her lips before positioning me. I entered her smoothly, enjoying the heat that enveloped me. Jake moved closer until I felt his hardness against my hip, and I turned to kiss him. As we kissed, pleasure sparked through me from my cock and from my lips, and then my nipples as Bella lightly teased them with her nails.

I wanted Jake to be included in our lovemaking. I wanted this to be the three of us, not two plus one. Normally, I was the top in my relationships, but with Jake, I found him to be the Alpha. He exuded power and dominance; it was refreshing. James and I had switched for whichever position we desired and I wanted the sensation of being filled again.

Shifting my weight to allow my legs to draw up and I could plant my feet flat on the mattress, I asked Jake if he had any more condoms. "Why?" he replied.

"I know you have lube in there too; I saw the bottle yesterday when you were setting up camp. With enough lube and some interesting balancing of Bella on me, I think we can get my legs up on your shoulders and then you can enter me. It might be easier on you for your first male encounter to be with you doing the fucking."

His jaw tensed. "I don't want to fuck you, Edward." I felt a part of me harden as I emotionally withdrew. "I want to love you, Edward." Bella and Jake both kissed me then, and I signed my heart over to them. I was in this with everything I had to give. They were my life now, even after such a short courtship.

I talked Jake through stretching me with his fingers, after he'd wedged a towel under me so that we didn't stain the bedding with lubricant. His fingers were thick and after the third one was in, I knew we were going to be okay. Jake, after heavily lubricating the condom, slowly pressed the head of his cock against me. He turned and kissed my leg where it rested on his shoulder, and then watched me with cautious eyes as he thrust forward, my body resisting and then allowing him entry. Bella rose and lowered herself onto me, reminding me that I couldn't just lie there and let them do all the work, so I began to thrust into her, Jake's hips backing out of me, before I pushed back against him while Bella only had the head of my cock in her.

Bella began to rub her clit, her fingers making fast circles while I suckled at one nipple and then the other. When she came with a pleasured yelp, I thrust deeper and let her body's undulations soon push me over; fire raced through my body as the ice that had remained from losing James melted in the face of a roaring inferno.

My ass clenched down as I came, and I ached as Jake lifted my hips slightly higher and thrust his way to his own climax, a silent shaking as his body gave everything to me. He reached between us and held the condom before withdrawing and turned to the side as he knotted and then tossed the latex into the small garbage bag they had at the foot of the bed in the corner. I mimicked his pattern as Bella lifted herself from me and the three of us soon fell asleep in a sweaty heap of bodies.

It was nearing noon by my cellphone's display when I awoke again. My lovers slept soundly as I slipped out of bed and quietly redressed in the sweatpants. I sat to the side and considered what had happened in the past few months. Looking down at the white ink tattoo on my ring finger, I wondered if I would ever add their initials in stylized knot-work to the ring James and I had done when we said our vows. A small sigh brought my attention to the bed where Bella and Jake had awakened. When two arms lifted toward me, I crawled back into bed, where I belonged. It was too soon to contemplate forever, but I could certainly look forward to it.


End file.
